Discussion Meeting on Supervision on Internet Game and Social Ethic of Enterprise

I Backgrounds:

In the early morning of December 27, 2004, after he had continuously played the Internet game “Warcraft Three” for 36 hours, Zhang xiao yi, a 13 year-old boy, jumped from a building of 24 tiers of Tang Gu District of Tian Jing and killed himself. In September 2005, Zhang chun liang who is engaged with the study on cure of internet addict, as the agent of Zhang’s parents, under the commission of Zhang’s parents, brought a lawsuit against the producer of this game, “American Storm Amusement Limited Company”, and “Shen Zhou Ao Mei Net Limited Company” who introduced the game. However, the lawsuit brought by Zhang chun liang was overruled two times in the reason of “deficient evidences” in Tang Gu Court of Tian Jin. In the early year of 2006, because the business agent of the game “Warcraft” is located in Beijing, Zhang chun liang brought the lawsuit in Chao Yang Court again. In June 2006, Chao Yang Court accepted this case.

In Chinese society, the young’s growth is the biggest concern for the common families. There are millions of people who are playing Internet games. Thereinto, the young occupied a substantial proportion. Although we don’t know that how many young people have “internet addicts”, the Zhang’s death and this lawsuit strongly show a series of problems caused by Internet game. In this lawsuit, one party is the comity of the weak and loose families who suffered hardship and sorrows, and the other is the production interest group who has great strength and high efficiency. In the transforming society in which there are not full laws and systems, and market economic system has a lot of defects, the special identity of the two parties make the lawsuit very significant. No matter what the result of this lawsuit is, it will have a great influence on the big Internet game production. The supervision of government will become stronger; it is possible to emphasize the social ethic of Internet game enterprise and change it into the legal responsibility through the legislature; and some supervision policies concerning “true name on internet”, “anti-addict software”, and “classification” will come out. All the above changes will make many enterprisers on this production chain and many players care about this “the first lawsuit against internet game” very much.

To resolve a series of social problems caused by the young’s addicting to Internet game, besides the necessary responsibilities that schools and parents should assume, the making and consummating of the relating policies and laws is also an important and necessary approach. Nowadays, some supervision policies have come out, for example: the enterprise that produced Internet games must be forced to fix anti-addict software; and the policies“True name on internet” and “classification” are in the preparatory making. However, what we must emphasize is that the Internet game enterprises that are condemned in this lawsuit truly are producing great spiritual and substantial wealth for the society. In the society in which there are many appeals for various interests, a reasonable system should be to balance the right appeals for the various interests. Whether it is the right demands of the families who suffered the damages caused by Internet addict, or it is the legal benefit of the Internet game enterprises, all of them should be respected and protected by the law. We hope that the specialists, scholars, lawyers, and representatives of enterprise attending the meeting, can analyze objectively and rationally the below questions and can find a balance of interests to realize the objective of constructing “harmonious Society” in the backgrounds with the various appeals for interests.

IIAgenda

1，Who should assume the legal liability for the tragedy caused by Internet addicts?

2，What policies should government make to supervise the Internet game? How should legislature consummate the laws concerning this problem?

3，Should enterprises that produce Internet game assume social ethic? What role should the enterprises that produce Internet game play in the process of resolving the problems that the young are addicted to Internet game? How to realize the balance between the supervision of government and the freedom of operating enterprises?

4，How do NGO play a better role in the process of resolving the problems that the young are addicted to Internet game?

Zhang shi jun : Law Doctor, Law Study Bureau of Chinese Academy of Social Sciences; Teacher, Law School of Beijing Economic and TradeCollege

Xie zeng yi : Law Doctor, Assistant-Researcher, Social Law Room of Law Study Bureau of Chinese Academy of Social Sciences

Zhang chun liang : Specialist on the study of the cure of internet addict

Holder

Sha jian shong: Lawyer, Beijing Impact Firm

V Contents

Liu Kai Xiang: Classification should be carried out in the Internet games

Classification will change and lead the activity, psychology, and mode of the consumers in a way. However, government should supervise Internet game and should not by-pass it.

Liu Shen: we should not neglect the role of NGO.

To reasonably supervise the Internet game, firstly, government should resolve the problem of the unorderly managements; secondly, bring NGO into play; thirdly, some cultural and educational establishments should be set up to supply more space for the vast young people to play in the spare time; finally, it is necessary to resolve the problems facing the basic education system.

Zhu Tong: firstly clarify the character of the Internet game.

When the Internet games have a bad influence, strengthen the supervision. On the contrary, if we don’t know of and study the character of the Internet games and only strengthen the supervision when the Internet games have a bad influence, the policy objective will not be achieved finally.

Qiao wei guo: Don’t only attribute the responsibilities to the enterprises.

The substance of the problems still relates to the supervision force of governments. Why don’t government fulfill the supervision liability? Who can restrict it? In fact, it is caused by the government system, not by the enterprises.

Zhang shi jun:Classification adapts to us?

Chinese realities are the considering factors in constructing supervision system and structure.

Wu Ge: Court should assume the responsibilities that they should.

Courts are the last lines of defense to protect social justice. We can come to courts to appeal for justices. In fact, courts should be responsible for these. The essence of the courts’ attitude of ignoring is to avoid the social liability as a judicial power.

VI Social Impact

The result of searching the topic of this meeting by “Google” on Internet is 638,000 items.

1,Important Reports：

China Youth Daily, August 8, 2006: who is responsible for the Internet game that can swallow persons?

The result of searching the topic of this article is 1,120,000 items.

Procuratorial Daily, August 9, 2006: A young Internet-addict boy’ death arouse wide social attentions---Specialists appealing for strengthening the supervision of government and establishing classifications on cultural products.

The result of searching the topic of this article is 14,100 items.

2,Important Comment：

China Youth Daily, August 10, 2006: how the Internet game becomes a beast that can swallow person?

The result of searching the topic of this article is 791,000 items.

3,Other Reports and Comments： Please don’t describe the internet game into an evil ghost!—“Game King Net